perverse *and* boring? october 2025 braindump
It's getting cold. Pull a stool by the fire and let's talk aboue art, attention, aesthetics, and America.
“Stop asking what you want and start asking, ‘what do I have to offer?’ because we are all in service of our friends, partners, everyone.”
I consider this braindump a service of sorts.
art (to save culture)
Jonathan Pageau gave a talk at the 2025 Touchstone Conference that I thought worth listening to twice—3 Things Christians Must Do to Rebuild Culture. I’ll spoil it for you: remember, celebrate, create. I appreciate his positive, optimistic perspective. We can make good things! And they’ll be so beautiful that they’ll inspire!
He argues that all art should communicate transcendence and, as such, art cannot be about self-expression. I disagree on only that fine point. We cannot communicate about the transcendent without communicating a personal experience. All art, at its inception, is fundamentally self-expressive—expressed through and by a person (or group of people), based on comprehension of what they mean to communicate.
But I agree that much of what we see in the art space right now is not only perverse but boring, which is why we need good art (to save culture).
attention
You know what’s not boring? Everything America right now. Since moving back to the States, I’ve realized how insulated I was from the roller coaster of American governance (or lack thereof). I was also a recovering news junkie. Being back in these red, white, and blue borders, I’ve felt the palpable political tension in a way I did not expect.
It’s so easy to give all my attention to the constant stream of every news thing being the worst thing ever. It’s been a struggle centering my attention on things that are worthwhile—things that are good and within a personal realm of practicality. So I’ve been thinking a lot about attention this month: Sherry Ning’s post, You’re shaped by what you pay attention to, is a beautifully-written reminder that not only must we deliberately attend to that which we desire to emulate, but we are responsible for what we point at and draw others’ attention toward.
Also this, from Zuby…
america
James Wood draws some lessons for today’s Christians from anti-Nazi theologian Henri de Lubac. In his Plough essay, The Politics of Pagan Christianity, he argues that the church cannot operate in the “exclusive service of one or another form of civilization.”
The world, in a sense, was made for the church, because the church is the final community, that site of supernatural social life for which all were made and apart from which human nature will not be satisfied. The world belongs to her, and she remakes the human race. All other communities must find themselves in her – if they are to last. This will mean that the church will cause some unrest in the world. She will frustrate the ambitions of any and all who seek to make their fleshly identities, temporal projects, and earthly communities ultimate.
» Jonathan Pageau says Charlie Kirk’s murder was ‘disturbing, but not that disturbing.’ Why? Because “assassination culture is downstream of anti-creative culture.” Interesting to think about: are we living in a time so driven by what we’re against that the only actions available to us are acts of destruction. We are so against things that our vision is clouded by what is bad and can see nothing worth building.
» In response to Kirk’s killing and recent political upheaval, writer and journalist Lionel Shriver reminds us that “we want things to mean something but maybe they don’t” and “making it mean something might be dangerous… The only thing we have power over is how we choose to see and react to the thing.” She’s right. We have to restore personal responsibility in our conversations about acceptable political speech and behavior. My actions and words should never be predicated solely on your actions and words. “A society entirely dependent on conflicts and sides and being defined by one’s enemy makes it so that no one really has an incentive to stop.” Insightful interview with Nick Gillespie.
aesthetics
Speaking of America, Owen Cyclops (if that is his real name) has a really good read on America’s “hyper-low church aesthetics.” I enjoyed the discussion on why/how a particular aesthetic comes about and how social and religious philosophies mix to get the rules of visual appeal that we have now. It’s a good shot in the arm to the old American churches are ugly because people don’t care about beauty anymore argument. It’s not as simple as that.
» On the aesthetics beat… emm 🕯️ writes about watching a personal style choice become a popular fad: the polka dot renaissance: on trend cycles ruining personal style.
absence
Nicholas Kotar has an interesting take on why “secular” sci-fi stories sometimes do a better job at communicating the transcendent—it’s because they communicate its absence. I am not entirely sold on this idea. But, considering the vibe shift, with so many people becoming cognizant of a lack of meaning in their lives and finding ways to seek it out, he might be on to something.
…this principle—knowing the good by leaning into the portrayal of its opposite—is exactly where secular sci-fi is excelling.
Interesting stuff: Secular Sci-Fi and the Transcendent
asides + signal boosts
In Compact, Helen Andrews has a cautionary examination of societal shifts that have taken place (will take place) as more women claim leading roles in judicial, political, corporate, and educational spaces. Read The Great Feminization.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tara Isabella Burton’s theatre kid Christianity. Essay of the year imo.
All the old stories contain the truths we need today. Ted Gioia shares why Hamlet Is the Gen Z Story We Need Right Now.
It’s purity culture 2.0 — Madeline Peltz gets inside the “thin, fertile, and conservative” movement.
Guys, “literally just do things” because “there will never be a perfect time,” says Erifili Gounari.
📖 Reading
Finished The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater. Five stars, no notes. Can’t wait to continue this series.
🎞️ Watching
Tron, Tron, and more Tron. Thanks to my wife and sister-in-law, I watched all three of the Tron movies over the past week. My (apparently) unpopular opinion is that Tron: Ares is the best of them and a genuinely good film.
🎧 Listening
Enjoyed Doja Cat’s Vie—a surprisingly good accompaniment to a gym session.
I’ve also been enjoying The Midnight’s Syndicate.
closing with this
I watched a video of comedian Jimmy Carr taking questions from the audience. One guy asked for help making friends as an adult. Carr, known for his brutal and inappropriate (to some) humor, had an atypically sincere piece of advice.
Stop asking what you want and start asking, ‘what do I have to offer?’ because we are all in service of our friends, partners, everyone.
I think we’d all be happier if we re-oriented our thinking around how we can serve others. The love you desire is the love you should give, etc. ✌️
No mention of TayTay? I’m shocked 😜